What is Cord Blood?
Diseases Treated with Cord Blood
Quite simply, cord blood is the remaining blood from your baby's umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Cord blood is loaded with our "stem cells" which are orgins of the body's immune and blood system and may be the orgin of other organs and important systems in the body. Stem cells are important because they have the ability to regenerate into other types of cells in the body.
A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after a birth. However in the past few years doctors have recognized that the stem cells have unique qualities which can be used in treatment of certain cancers. The most common medical use is for tranplantation in many situations where bone marrow is considered. In the future, it is possible that scientists will discover more diseases that can be cured with cord blood.
Harvesting and banking cord blood is a fairly simple procedure that can be performed during vaginal or cesarian deliveries without interrupting the birth process. The doctor or nurse will collect the cord blood after the umbilical cord has been clamped. The collection of cord blood is not painful, intrusive or risky to the mother or baby.
That much is simple...the hard stuff is the debate over the benefits of banking cord blood vs. the arguments against banking.
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